Silver mists of deception
by CrazyAnimeLoverMayumi
Summary: The story takes place in an AU where Ichigo leads a complex life and life always seems to throw him in awkward situations involving one stoic noble. Read this story of Ichigo...of how he protects his family, has lots of fun and eventually finds true love. My first Bleach story ever! Pls check it out ne?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"Ichi-nii!" Karin and Yuzu exclaimed as they ran to greet their brother. Ichigo smiled at them and after putting down his bags, he knelt down on one knee and enveloped them into a hug. They laughed\giggled happily as they returned his hug. The passersby smiled at them when they saw him hugging his two cute little sisters. "Come on Yuzu, Karin. We gotta go home." They went out of the airport and looked for a cab. They rest of the way Ichigo listened to Karin as she told him all that has happened when he was not there. That was not possible of course but she told him many things anyway. They no doubt kept in contact with each other but well you cannot really talk of some things over the phone which is exactly why Karin was telling him everything from her becoming football captain to her dad breaking his nose when he almost fell in a ditch after colliding with a lamp post. Yuzu sat between them and silently watched them interacting with a fond smile on her face. Her brother was back and this time he is not going anywhere. He would look at the window as the cab passed by many shops and houses and occasionally turned towards Karin to give a comment or ask something. But he was smiling and he looked very relaxed and at ease which really touched her heart. She made up her mind sleepily that she will always support her brother and will always pray for the family to be happy and together.

Ichigo stared out of the cab window as he listened to Karin attentively while scanning how much everything has changed since the last time he was here. Suddenly, he turned his head towards his right as he felt Yuzu lean against his arm. Apparently she dozed off with a smile on her face. He chuckled and adjusted her so that her head was lying on his lap and her feet on Karin's. She scowled when placing Yuzu's feet on her lap but immediately smiled brightly when she saw Yuzu's face and Ichigo looking at both of them with lots of love. Even after an hour they were not home and this was because they were stuck in the heavy traffic of some busy town. "We should have taken a train instead ichi-nii" Karin said in annoyance. "Naw…" Ichigo drawled, "I don't want my jetlag to get worse." He laughed as Karin tried to stop hers and well they both had a good laugh.

* * *

"Welcome home my son." His father greeted him solemnly as he opened the door to let Ichigo in. as soon as Ichigo finished taking off his shoes, he was pulled into a choking bear hug and his father shouted "You are back!" Ichigo pushed him away and grumbled but hugged his father after letting out a slight laugh at his antics. "Oh Maassaaakiiiiii…." His father shouted as he dragged Ichigo to a large half life size portrait of his late mom. "Look how much he has grown! Aren't we proud of him?!" His father almost cried while saying this to the picture. Ichigo looked up at his mom's smiling face and smiled at her. His breath was already beginning to hitch so he turned away and asked his sisters whether he will have his own room now. He once again chuckled as he was immediately dragged up the stairs by his two over excited sisters who wanted to show him his room. "Ichi-ni, take a shower or something and come down for lunch ok? I and Karin will help you settle in after that." Yuzu told him with her soft voice. "Gee thanks but I am the brother right?" Ichigo mock scolded Yuzu." So I will do it. Don't worry about it. Now go serve dinner I will be coming down after sometime." He told her and got ready to freshen up and have lunch asap! He was very hungry and he hadn't even realized it until now.

"Wow! Did you cook these all by yourself Yuzu?" Ichigo questioned her in wonder as he stared down at the mini feast laid out in front of him. "You bet!" Karin said proudly and Yuzu blushed as she was being complimented by her brother. "My Yuzu chan is a very good girl!" his dad said and well they started eating. "So when will you tell me Ichigo? Why did you run away from the U.S?" His dad asked halfway through lunch. Everyone on the table stopped eating and looked at him for an answer. He looked back at them, his whole body frozen and his mouth open as he was about to eat a piece of bacon. They laughed at his reaction and looked at him expectantly. "Well, let's finish this awesome food and after that I will tell.' He said and once again started to shove in all the food. His father was startled as his son suddenly gave out a loud burp. All looked at him astonished and he merely ignored them. "Well, I am done eating! Thanks for the food Yuzu. I will be waiting for you all in the sitting room. Come after you all are done." Saying so, he got up from his chair and went to the sitting room to watch the TV.

"Well, tell us Ichigo…Why did you run away from the U.S?" Isshin asked his son. "I cannot really explain much dad. It's quite a long story…"Ichigo said. "I think looking at Channel M should help you…" Saying so, he switched on to the music channel. After half a minute, as his dad was about to complain, a beautiful reporter started to say something about a new superstar and by the end of the report the whole family sat frozen in their seats with their mouths open (except Ichigo of course).

_Very recently an anonymous source sold a large number of taped videos to _**Starlight**_- one of the largest music production companies, which were released last week on their official website. The videos were of a high school band from at least three to four years ago. The videos of the said band_**- Swords And Music (SAM)**_ went viral within 2 days of its release! It was verified that such a band existed and was believed to be of the best high school bands of their time. The members seemed to have turned into stars overnight as millions of fans posted about them on various social networking sites like Twitter. It is not the first time such a thing has happened but it certainly doesn't happen a lot._

_From whatever data that was collected from various sources it has been found out that the members of the band were- Kaien Shiba_, #a pic of him is shown on the screen with long black hair and amber eyes# _the band leader and lead male vocalist and guitarist; Yuki Inoue,_ #a pic of hers is shown with long orange hair tied up in a ponytail with the side bangs held aside by two snowflake hairpins. She was smiling in the pic and had a mic on her right hand# _the only female in the band and female vocalist who also plays the keyboard_; _Kido Yada,_ #a pic of his serious looking face is shown in which a part of his specs was twinkling as it caught the flash of the camera# _the rhythm and bass guitarist and also the backing singer of the band; and lastly Chad as he is called_ #a pic of his serious and mysterious face is shown#,_ the drummer and most silent member of the group._

_As easy as it seems to track them, it is not so as their names are merely their 'on stage' names with the exception of Mr. Shiba. That is their real names are yet to be found. However, inside sources has also revealed that they had given their word to the anonymous person to not to find out these members. Seems like a onetime wonder people! And one time wonder indeed as on the first week itself ten hundred thousand copies of their CDs were sold and their songs remained in the weekly top ten till date right from the date of their release. So dear SAM fans it is up to you to choose whether you let your idols lead a peaceful life or seek them out and get their autographs! We will be taking a short break now and in the meantime why do not you all enjoy this song number of the band that we just discussed! YES! The SAM! People. Stay tuned!_

#the screen blinked and a medium quality video with high quality voice started to play#

_Every day without an answer is_

_Just time that's passing by_

_From here on what will the future become?_

_I don't know..._

_Kaien Shiba sung those words into the mic with a voice full of power as he held the mic with his left hand._

_He was wearing a black tux and a black vest- the tux open and the vest as it is as it kept together the sweaty shirt. Its first three buttons open and untucked. By his neck hung a very loose crimson necktie that brought out the color of his eyes. And unlike everyone, he wore faded blue jeans with a chain dangling by his belt which gave him a 'bad guy' look. _

_A loneliness that's darker than night_

_Was bewildering me_

_I want to become aware of someone now . . ._

_Because I want to escape from here_

_Behind him there was a huge drum set and sat behind it an equally befitting boy named Chad. His eyes were closed and his thick wild hair was messier than ever. He had worn a sleeveless shirt, no tux and the necktie was open, dangling from his neck like a garland. His tan and muscular arms glistened with sweat as he kept on playing the drums in a very fast pace._

_The morning glow I see from the window_

_The sound that echoes in the room_

_The alarm wakes me and_

_I rush out of the house's gloomy interior_

_Into my bag_

_I jam the same ordinary things_

_And then head to the usual place_

_In front of Chad and behind Kaien, stood Yuki and Kid at the two sides with a keyboard and a bass respectively. Yuki was smiling as she played her keys with very much grace and power. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her famous hairpins were in their usual place. She was wearing a crimson knee length dress that had burgundy and black accents and both the sleeves and the hem of her dress had a 'ripped off' effect. On both of her hands slim bangles made of glass, glistened in the stage lights. Occasionally she would take a glance at her band mates and her smile would widen a wee bit more. Her soft lingering voice complemented Kaien's strong one creating a magical effect that visibly mystified the audience and the cheering and hollering sometimes would quieten whenever those two sung._

_The words that somebody said_

_Made me anxious and puzzled me_

_I don't like to argue_

_So I couldn't say anything_

_I have things like dreams and ideals but_

_If I go beyond things I can just feel_

_Reality will always be_

_Staring me in the back_

_Kid played his bass solemnly with his eyes half open. He swayed with the music and let it carry him. He was wearing his clothes exactly it should be worn, only that his necktie was undone, shirt untucked and partially unbuttoned (like Kaien's). His thin rimmed clear glasses hung from the third button of his shirt and twinkled when the metal frame caught the stage lights. He looked very prim and pram otherwise with a dash of style._

_Hey, somebody tell me_

_Is everybody like that?_

_If you're happy today_

_Then things seem are good, they say_

_When I was a child_

_It was certainly like that_

_Chasing after a dream_

_But that is also a distant memory_

_One could easily feel the music throbbing and booming, vibrating through the entire place. Every bit of their performance showed just how talented they are and how much potential their band had._

_Every day without an answer is_

_Just time that's passing by_

_From here on what will the future become?_

_I don't know . . ._

_The guidepost of moonlight_

_Shows me through the clouds passing above_

_The shining road I'm supposed to follow_

_No matter how today looks like it will come to nothing _

_You could see the entire of the audience shouting and cheering although you can't hear their voices as the audio was formatted that way._

_No matter what_

_No matter what_

_Because I want to keep believing_

_Because I will wake up from the distant memory of that day_

_So as not forget, I will carve it into my chest_

_As they reached the end of the song, their voices took a softer tone and the intensity of their music lessened to a degree and they were all smiling as all of them sang the chorus at the end._

_The answer is inside of me_

_It's something that surely exist, and so_

_Without giving up_

_Without stopping to live strongly_

_Even if it's too sad_

_And in front of us there's a time we can't go forward_

_We will share the troubles and between us while walking_

_The wind blows_

_No matter how far it is_

#the TV was turned off#

All turned to look at Ichigo as he tiredly ran a hand through his raven hair and let out a sigh… "Tell me who sold that Ichi-nii! They were yours and you had the right to do whatever you wanted with them and by seeing them I can say that you all separately recorded your songs! So why did you let someone sell them away?" Karin cried at him frustrated. "Well, our rhythm guitarist did that. He bought the videos that were taken by our schools multimedia club and then after combining our recorded songs with the videos he sold them. He badly needed money Karin! His grandfather! His only family died and you know what he did not leave anything behind for his grandson! He is my friend you know so I had to help him…I did not think they would get this famous so after our graduation party I flew back to Japan. I could not have done anything anyways. As I had been using this dye for years now I am unable to wash it off so I just cut my hair and I am never wearing those red contacts again."

After a moment of silence a loud bark of laughter startled everybody. Issin laughed after failing to control himself, "oh poooor Kido! His grandpa didn't leave anything for him and well you had to flee cause of that! Now imagine if his angry grandpa's spirit comes to haunt you cos you helped him! Where will you flee to?" That did it and all had a very good laugh. "By the way dad I am not going out anywhere until I grow this dye out. It will take only a few months and yes the drummer of our group, he will be coming over. He is an Indian and an orphan you know and he wants to settle in here so he will be staying with us for a few days." Ichigo told them while getting up to go to his room to unpack. "Wait for us Ichi-nii! We promised we would help you! Please let us help!" Karin and Yuzu shouted after his leaving form. "Very well come up!" Ichigo said from inside his half an hour the two sisters came downstairs with an empty bag and a bundle of clothes. "Where is Ichigo?" Isshin asked them. "Well, he did not even last fifteen minutes! He almost passed out from exhaustion, so we told him to sleep. Now he is in a deep sleep already." Yuzu informed. "I just wish he can go back to being himself. I can't wait to get rid of him once again when I think he is going to be staying inside till he grows his dye out. Gosh!" Isshin silently grumbled as he watched his two daughters tidying up the table and helping each other to do a few chores.

* * *

**A\N:- R and R people ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The bright rays of the sun entered the room making the shadows dance as the curtain by the window swayed in the wind. Byakuya changed his position to ward off the sunlight and the shadows that fell on his face. He pulled the cover over himself as the alarm rang off as he was about to go to sleep once again. With a sigh, he got up from the bed, switched off the alarm and almost rushed to the toilet unable to resist nature's call. He came out and sighed once again. His sleep had unfortunately flown away as he was washing his face. He would wake up just after sunrise usually but he wanted to sleep in today as it was a Sunday but was of course he was unsuccessful. After having his Breakfast, he went out to water his plants in the lawn. He lived in his own single storey house that he shared with his sister who had recently finished her studies in the states and was back last month. She could have come soon after it was over but she stayed a month extra to enjoy some time with her friends for the last time. Sundays are Byakuya's day of relaxing. He would water the plants, usually taken care of by his sister; he would also clean his house a bit; watch the telly or go on a long drive or even take a stroll in the park. He would have late dinner and then fall asleep on the floor on summer afternoons or on the couch in the winter. In the evening he would prepare for the next day or read and then hit the bed early.

His so called sister stepped out into the lawn just as he finished watering the plants. Rukia stretched and yawn as the morning sun hit her as soon as she stepped out into the lawn to call her brother. Her brother was smiling at her and 'good morning'ed her before she could even say a word. She tiredly waved at him as if she has just returned from some desert. Byakuya looked at his sister and let a light smile show on him as he brushed passed her to arrange her a breakfast for Rukia is only awake after having half of her breakfast. Halfway through her breakfast, Rukia called her brother. "Nii-sama, today I don't have anywhere to be so let us go to the park on the hillside." Byakuya looked up from the sofa and after saying a 'sure' went back to reading the newspaper. Rukia finished eating and the cleaned the dishes, the windows and her room. When she came to her brother, she saw him vacuuming the carpet in the sitting room. A big black packet containing garbage was put near the door which they would throw when going out.

"After I am done with the carpet, I will take a shower and dress up, so will you and we will go to the park." Byakuya said as he did away with the last bit of 'carpet cleaning'. Rukia whooped silently and went to throw the garbage in the dumping place a few blocks away. After coming back she took a half an hour bath and wore a nice summer dress and white sandals. On her hands were one straw hat and a kite. She sat in the sitting room as she waited for her big brother. For Byakuya never missed his two hour bath on Sundays. After a few more minutes, Byakuya appeared wearing a light sky blue shirt whose three buttons were not done, A white tee could be seen underneath the shirt. His loose navy jeans complemented his white running shoes very well. Rukia faked a hollering cat call but immediately shut up when she received a deathly glare. They went out of the house and after locking the door, set off to the park at a snail's pace.

Ichigo hollered like a Red Indian and jumped out from the window of the sitting room into front side lawn as soon as he finished his breakfast. He was wearing black jeans and a flimsy, sleeveless black jumper with a white shirt whose arms had a 'ripped off' effect. On his neck dangled an ivory conch pendant and a symbol of '15' was graphitized on his left thigh in red and black flames. He wore black sneaker with red laces and was holding on to a black skateboard with 'fingerless' gloved hands. He was soon followed by a spatula that thunked on his head and fell down. Yuzu and Karin stepped out from the door and they were too dressed in black, followed by a black clad Isshin. "Ichi-nii, drop the skateboard. We are not going to the park you know." Karin tried to put some sense into her brother's 'happy thick' head. After all it was his first day out after the self imposed house arrest of his, in order to grow his hair dye out. "Well we are gonna go later of course!" Ichigo successfully countered. Karin scowled and went ahead of them, leaving a snickering Ichigo behind. "Well well my children! Please behave yourselves cos we are gonna go meet Masaki now! And I bet she wouldn't appreciate it if she sees you all bickering like this." That little talk of Isshin did the trick and soon they were silently making their way to the graveyard.

After walking for some distance, Ichigo couldn't resist and stood on his skate board. "I will wait for you all at THE HILL!" Ichigo shouted the last part as he took off leaving them in the dust. Yuzu and Isshin coughed light as Karin held up a hand to cover her mouth. "Dad I think it was a bad idea to visit mom when it is not even her anniversary yet." Karin asked. Isshin chuckled and let out a long sigh… "Let Ichigo be Karin. He has missed visiting Masaki too many times already and now that he can finally go out, he would do his best to make up for all those years. Besides, we are coming only this time, afterwards he is gonna go there anytime he wanted, all on his own." Yuzu hummed as she agreed with her father. "Ahoy! Kuchiki Kun! Kuchiki chan!" Karin and Yuzu shouted out to the two figures that were a bit ahead of them. The said people halted in their tracks and turned towards them. The Kurosaki trio jogged and caught up with them. "Are you going to some funeral?" Rukia asked curiously while Byakuya walked two steps behind them, side by side with Isshin. "Nah! My Brother wanted to meet our mom and since he will be meeting her after so many years, we decided to go with him and he wanted to wear black so…" Karin shrugged at the last part as she explained. "So Wait! You are telling me your big brother is back and you did not even think it was important to tell me yeah?" Rukia questioned, smokes threatened to come out of her ears as Yuzu nervously laughed at them, her lips twitching as she took a step back. "My son is back and well we have been busy so well…er…not many people know anyways. Besides, he has been back after so many years so it was only natural that he had some 'alone time' to get a hang of this place and get used to it."

Byakuya became curious when he heard 'many years' and could not resist, "What do you mean 'many years' Kurosaki san?" Isshin's face took a solemn expression, "Well, my boy went to the states to live with his uncle when he turned 8…and he is back now." Rukia who was listening quietly, smiled at her neighbor. Well, they weren't really neighbors but Rukia and the Kurosaki twins became good friends after they met countless times at the park when Rukia visited during her holidays. "Say, Rukia nii! You are not going back to the states again now are you?" Yuzu questioned silently. Rukia smiled at her, "Of course not! I finished my studies there, now I am thinking of getting a job here." "Wow that's awesome Rukia nii, Ichi nii also got a job. He works part time you see but today his boss was nice enough to give him a day off." Karin said and looked a cat that was sleeping on a roof of a nearby house. "Ichi…so that's his name…" Rukia muttered as she checked her surroundings. Behind her, Byakuya raised his eyebrow in a silent question and looked at his sister thinking why she was interested in the eldest Kurosaki. They weren't even neighbors or proper friends for kami sama's sake! They indeed lived too far away and did not take part in each other's family functions.

LOOOOK OOOUUUTTTT! A mysterious and shady figure zoomed towards them. In a state of panic, Karin clutched Yuzu and took position behind a lamp post. Rukia was pushed out of the way by Byakuya just before he was tackled by the figure. Byakuya felt himself knocked out of breath as he fell on the street. He almost fainted from the impact. Rukia gasped in surprise and the Kurosaki family looked on in surprise while the mysterious figure got up and dusted his clothes as if nothing happened. He paused midway and gulped nervously, visibly scared of the death glare that Byakuya was throwing at him."!" The once zooming person sputtered indignantly as he was unable to provide a suitable excuse for his deeds and by the looks of Byakuya he would rather not say 'I am sorry'. "Renji!" Karin yelled at him and rushed forward ready to punch him for what he did. "I-I…I just tried to steal Berry's skateboard and tried to run away with it. Because he was skating when I am to do his share of work too! Obviously, he shouldn't have gotten himself a day off if he was going to spend it doing nothing!" Renji huffed and looked at everyone who was present in the scene. "Hehehehe! Well, you were quite successful running away with my son's favorite skateboard or fleeing away and crashing rather…" Even Byakuya smirked at Isshin's joke while the Kurosaki twins snickered behind Isshin and Rukia behind his brother. "Rukia! You too! You are supposed to be my girlfriend…" Renji tried and failed as they stopped smiling and giggling and burst out laughing with Byakuya's smirk widening a bit more.


End file.
